Sample Chapter

Chapter One

1 In the beginning God created
the heavens and the earth. 2 Now the earth
was formless and empty, darkness was over
the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of
God was hovering over the waters.

3 And God said, "Let there be light," and there was
light. 4 God saw that the light was good,
and he separated the light from the
darkness. 5 God called the light "day," and
the darkness he called "night." And there
was evening, and there was morning—the
first day.

6 And God said, "Let there be a
vault between the waters to separate water
from water." 7 So God made the vault and
separated the water under the vault from the
water above it. And it was so. 8 God called
the vault "sky." And there was evening, and
there was morning—the second day.

9 And God said, "Let the water under the sky be
gathered to one place, and let dry ground
appear." And it was so. 10 God called the dry
ground "land," and the gathered waters he
called "seas." And God saw that it was good.

11 Then God said, "Let the land produce
vegetation: seedbearing plants and trees on
the land that bear fruit with seed in it,
according to their various kinds." And it
was so. 12 The land produced vegetation:
plants bearing seed according to their kinds
and trees bearing fruit with seed in it
according to their kinds. And God saw that
it was good. 13 And there was evening, and
there was morning—the third day.

14 And God said, "Let there be lights in the
vault of the sky to separate the day
from the night, and let them serve
as signs to mark sacred times, and
days and years, 15 and let them be
lights in the vault of the sky to
give light on the earth." And it was
so. 16 God made two great lights—the
greater light to govern the day
and the lesser light to govern the
night. He also made the stars. 17 God
set them in the vault of the sky to
give light on the earth, 18 to govern
the day and the night, and to
separate light from darkness. And
God saw that it was good. 19 And
there was evening, and there was
morning—the fourth day.

20 And God said, "Let the water teem with
living creatures, and let birds fly
above the earth across the vault of
the sky." 21 So God created the great
creatures of the sea and every
living thing with which the water
teems and that moves about in it,
according to their kinds, and every
winged bird according to its kind.
And God saw that it was good. 22 God
blessed them and said, "Be fruitful
and increase in number and fill the
water in the seas, and let the birds
increase on the earth." 23 And there
was evening, and there was morning—the
fifth day.

24 And God said, "Let the land produce
living creatures
according to their kinds: the
livestock, the creatures that move
along the ground, and the wild
animals, each according to its
kind." And it was so. 25 God made the
wild animals according to their
kinds, the livestock according to
their kinds, and

the suffering of the afflicted one;
he has not hidden his face from him
but has listened to his cry for help.

25 From you comes the theme of my praise
in the great assembly;
before those who fear you a I will
fulfill my vows.
26 The poor will eat and be satisfied;
those who seek the Lord will praise
him —
may your hearts live forever!

27 All the ends of the earth
will remember and turn to the Lord,
and all the families of the nations
will bow down before him,
28 for dominion belongs to the Lord
and he rules over the nations.

29 All the rich of the earth will feast and
worship;
all who go down to the dust will kneel
before him —
those who cannot keep themselves
alive.
30 Posterity will serve him;
future generations will be told about
the Lord.
31 They will proclaim his righteousness,
declaring to a people yet unborn:
He has done it!

Psalm 23

A psalm of David.

1 The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
2 He makes me lie down in green
pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
3 he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths
for his name's sake.
4 Even though I walk
through the darkest valley,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.

5 You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
6 Surely your goodness and love will
follow me
all the days of my life,

Introduction to the Sermon on the Mount

5 Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he
went up on a mountain side and sat
down. His disciples came to him, 2 and he
began to teach them.

The Beatitudes

He said:
3 "Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
5 Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth.
6 Blessed are those who hunger and
thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
7 Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
8 Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God.
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted
because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

11 "Blessed are you when people insult
you, per se cute you and falsely say all kinds
of evil against you be cause of me. 12 Rejoice
and be glad, be cause great is your re ward
in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted
the prophets who were be fore you.

Salt and Light

13 "You are the salt of the earth. But if the
salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made
salty again? It is no longer good for anything,
except to be thrown out and trampled
under foot.

14 "You are the light of the world. A town
built on a hill can not be hid den. 15 Neither
do people light a lamp and put it under a
bowl. In stead they put it on its stand, and
it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In
the same way, let your light shine be fore
others, that they may see your good deeds
and glorify your Father in heaven.

The Fulfillment of the Law

17 "Do not think that I have come to abolish
the Law or the Prophets; I have not
come to abolish them but to fulfill them.
18 For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth
disappear, not the smallest letter, not the
least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear
from the Law until every thing is accomplished.
19 There fore any one who sets
aside one of the least of these commands
and teaches others accordingly will be
called least in the kingdom of heaven, but
whoever practices and teaches these commands
will be called great in the kingdom
of heaven. 20 For I tell you that un less your
righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees
and the teachers of the law, you will
certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.

Murder

21 "You have heard that it was said to the
people long ago, 'You shall not murder, a and
any one who murders will be subject to judgment.'
22 But I tell you that any one who is angry
with a brother or sister will be subject
to judgment. Again, any one who says to a
brother or sister, 'Raca,' is answer able to
the court. And any one who says, 'You fool!'
will be in danger of the fire of hell.

23 "Therefore, if you are offering your gift
at the altar and there remember that your
brother or sister has some thing against
you, 24 leave your gift there in front of the
altar. First go and be reconciled to them;
then come and offer your gift.